


Black as Knight || Sirius Black

by ThatOneCheerio



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Amnesia, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Flashbacks, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Little Sisters, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Romance, Sad Sirius Black, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Sirius Black Lives, Squibs, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29102589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneCheerio/pseuds/ThatOneCheerio
Summary: ❝We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on... that's who we really are.❞After the tragic death of her parents in a car crash, Francesca Knight starts up a bakery, Sweet Dreams, to provide for her little sister, Everly. Nearly three years have passed since the accident and Francesca is sure she can say (with confidence) that she has finally moved on.  That is until Sirius Black comes crashing into her life... literally.Following a particularly nasty fight with his childhood friend, Sirius Black drives his motorcycle straight into a lamppost outside of Francesca's bakery. Severely battered and bruised, Francesca heals him without complaint. Surprised as to why she is being so nice to him, Sirius tries to apologize for what he did all those years ago. But when Francesca appears to have no idea what he is talking about, Sirius begins to realize that there is something very, very wrong.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Sirius Black was not one to back down from a fight.

A dark mist clung heavily to the air around him, a result of the slight drizzle falling rhythmically from the sky. It was bound to get worse as the night went on.

The man felt for his motorcycle in the dark, eventually grabbing hold of the seat and mounting it. Sirius then twisted the key into the ignition, the hum of the engine cutting through the surrounding silence. Almost mechanically, he clicked on the headlights. The only other light was from the dim moon in the sky. It would be full soon.

He kicked up the stand of the bike and speed off, navigating the empty city streets. Rather than flying, Sirius preferred to drive at times like these. It helped him focus.

He steered the motorcycle into the designated alleyway. In the daytime, it was filled with tiny signs of life: moss growing in between the cracks of the bricks, the occasional alley cat scavenging for food. During the night, it was eerily clouded by the buildings' overhangs. Sirius hopped off his motorcycle and leaned it against the crumbling wall of an old coffee shop.

Cautiously, Sirius drew his wand, casting a beam of white light across the alley.

"Let's get this over with," a man said, stepping into view.

Sirius flinched slightly at the sound of his voice. "Remus."

Remus Lupin stood ahead of him, clenching his wand in his fist. His knuckles were white, his hair was disheveled and matted to his head, his clothes were dirty and torn. He looked pathetic in the light of Sirius's charm. Only one word came to mind as he stared at the werewolf: traitor.

"After everything they've done for you," Sirius spat, "you betray them like this?"

"I betrayed them?" Remus repeated, chuckling to himself. "Sirius, it's funny how you never seem to own up to your actions. You're the one with death eaters for a family, yet I betrayed James and Lily?"

Sirius scoffed, kicking a stray rock out from under his heavy boot. "I've never been anything like my family. I hated every second I spent in that house! All I ever wanted was an escape from them, my whole life. And when I finally get my freedom, I'm grouped in with the rest of them, like I'm the same!"

Remus' eyes narrowed, clenching his teeth. With a dark laugh, he shook his head.

"It must be so horrible to be Sirius Black! You hate that you're grouped in with the rest of your family? Get your head out of your arse!" Remus yelled, incredulous. "You don't know what it's like to have everyone view you as some kind of monster! My whole life I've thought that I'm not worthy of love, worthy of anybody's friendship, and when I'm finally given that by James and Lily, you think I'd just betray them?"

"Yeah, actually," Sirius shrugged, a taunting smirk on his lips.

Remus eyed the man, and without hesitation, lunged, a cascade of spells spewing out of his mouth. Sirius, momentarily caught off guard, stumbled backward into a metal trash bin. The lid clattered to the wet pavement below. He took his chance at a startled Remus, whose hearing was heightened as a result of his condition, and sent the spells back at him.

A small gash appeared across Remus' left cheek, drawing blood to the surface of his skin. Remus quickly recovered and stumbled towards Sirius. He might have been fast, but Sirius was faster.

"Impedimenta!" Sirius cast. Immediately, Remus was knocked to the ground.

The force of the impact surged through Remus's body, keeping him down for longer than Sirius expected. The extra time allowed him to strike again, opening another wound on his calf.

Wincing, Remus regained his hold on his wand. He rolled onto his side and stood, taking notice of a large glass window behind Sirius.

"Finestra!" Remus said. The glass behind Sirius shattered, sending a waterfall of shards onto him.

Remus ducked out of the way to avoid being hit, but a few pieces still managed to lodge themselves into his forearm. Sirius, however, was less fortunate. He crumpled to the ground, making a sloppy attempt at covering his head and neck. The wet shards rained down on him, creating gashes across his body.

Once he stood, blood trickled down his arms and legs but was rapidly washed away by the downpouring rain. Remus lurched towards him, making eye contact. In the pale moonlight, he could make out his dark brown eyes, full of rage.

"Flipendo!" Sirius cast, knocking Remus to his feet once more.

From his position on the ground, Remus yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

Sirius's wand flew out of his hand and landed in the darkness behind him. He stared at the empty hand before him, then back to Remus, a terrifying grin on his face. He balled his hand into a tight fist and swung forwards.

The sickening crunch of impact to the man's face echoed throughout the alley. Fortunately for Remus, the adrenaline coursing through his veins masked the pain, at least for now. He rose, facing Sirius. Although he was stronger than Remus, without a wand, he was rendered defenseless against spells. Remus spat a few in Sirius's direction and ducked out of the way of another fist.

"Quick, aren't you, Remus?" Sirius jeered.

Remus attempted another duck, but he was too slow. Sirius caught him in a headlock and forced him to the slick pavement. A gash opened on the back of his head, thick red blood pooling beneath him. Sirius towered over the man, colliding his fist with Remus' ribs and stomach. Eyes full of fear, Remus watched as Sirius's foot lifted into the air and braced for impact, but nothing came.

Sirius turned on his heel and walked away from Remus, shakily climbing back onto his bike. It had become clear to Sirius that he was going too far.

He sped off into the night, leaving Remus behind.

Once again, Sirius found himself navigating the dark streets of London. He didn't have a destination, speeding through open roads and turning corners, ultimately getting lost in the labyrinth of a city. Anger surged through him. Anger, not only towards Remus but towards himself.

How could he go so far? He absentmindedly tugged at the red and gold cloth tied to the handlebar of his bike.

The moon had disappeared behind the dark fog that draped itself around the city. Sirius was constantly wiping his eyes, full of water from the heavy rain. He was becoming drowsier by the second, still bleeding from the cuts the glass shards left behind.

Almost in slow motion, Sirius comprehended the scene in front of him. Terrified, he realized his bike was heading straight towards a lamppost. He knew he wouldn't be able to steer clear of it in time.

Before his aching body could catch up with his mind, his motorcycle collided with the lamppost, sending him flying into the road.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

It was another late night of packing up the ingredients she used to bake her desserts—a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Francesca Knight owned a bakery on the corner of Main Street. It was the perfect location for the small business—London was always bustling with people, many stopping by on their way to work to grab a muffin or two. Although it wasn't much, Francesca called this place home. From the mint exterior and light tiled flooring to the dainty sign that read "Sweet Dreams" above the door, Francesca had practically built the place herself. The girl had just finished tucking away the rolling pins when her sister peeked through the doors of the kitchen.

"Are you done yet, 'Chesca?"

Francesca laughed. She'd been called that silly nickname for as long as she could remember. "Just about, 'Ev."

Everly scampered over to the small rack where Francesca was crouched and tugged at her colorful apron. Standing up, Francesca allowed Everly to lead her back to the kitchen, where she discovered an array of ingredients set out for that night's dinner.

"Did you do all this?" she asked, peering down at the little girl.

Everly nodded triumphantly.

"Wow, great job, 'Ev!" Francesca exclaimed, scooping Everly into her arms, who giggled. "What are we having tonight?"

Everly gave her a toothy grin. "Pizza!"

"Pizza it is, then."

Combining the flour, along with a few of the essential ingredients Everly missed (she was only six, after all) and stirring them together in a bowl, they began with the dough. After forming it into a perfect circle, Everly slathered the pizza sauce onto the dough, albeit a little messier than Francesca would have liked, getting it all over her hands. Then, after cleaning Everly up, they placed the cheese onto the pizza and put it in the oven to bake.

"Now, we wait," Everly said, placing her chin on her hands and staring at the oven in front of her.

Once the pizza had cooked and Everly was settled at the table, Francesca headed downstairs to talk with Sarah Lockhart, her best friend and co-worker. She would eat after she checked in with her, Francesca decided.

When Francesca was just starting up the bakery, she was extremely short-staffed. She didn't have much to pay her employees with, all of the budget was spent on getting the bakery open for business, and with a large influx of customers, Francesca was left to do all of the work herself. Everly tried to help, but it wasn't very safe, nor sanitary to have a four year old running rampant behind the counters of a bakery. Not even magic could save Francesca in this situation.

Lucky for her, one of the regulars offered to work there, even if the pay happened to be low. Francesca politely declined. It wouldn't work out, she figured. She used magic behind the counter, which could theoretically be concealed, but Everly was out of the question. Accidental magic is very unpredictable, and if something were to happen while Francesca wasn't watching, the Ministry would surely shut her down.

"I'm a squib, you know," the regular told her. "You don't need to hide your magic from me."

"What? How did you—"

"My brother has got to be one of the most overconfident wizards out there. Believe me, I know magic when I see it." The regular, Sarah, smirked at Francesca's dumbfounded reaction. "So, how about that job?"

It had been nearly two years since their encounter, and Francesca couldn't be happier with her decision to staff Sarah. She was dependable, always showed up on time, and continued to work at the bakery, although she no longer needed the money.

"I really can't thank you enough," Francesca said, hopping up onto the counter. "I just couldn't work the night shift today."

"Hey," Sarah said, her tone light, "don't mention it."

Francesca took a shaky breath. "I'm always so worried that I don't spend enough time with Everly. After mum and dad died, the one thing I wanted most in the world was more time. I regretted every second I missed spending with them, and once I came to terms with the fact that they were really gone, I realized I never wanted Everly to feel the way I did. I'm sorry if I have to take some shifts off and I know you're probably busy—"

"Francesca." Sarah placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "I love my job here. You don't need to worry about me. Besides, it's not very busy this late, anyway. Everyone's either sleeping or out partying."

Sarah always knew what to say in situations like these. It was something Francesca admired about her.

She sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me neither," Sarah joked. "Now, go get back to Everly."

Francesca nodded, hopping off the counter, and heading back towards the stairs.

Right as she was about to walk up the steps, a loud crash sounded from behind her. At first, she thought something had happened to Everly, but after her little sister came running down the stairs, pizza sauce all over her face, to see what had happened, she knew Everly was safe.

"Francesca!" Sarah screamed. "Help!"

The bakery door was left swaying from where she had made her exit, and Francesca stared off at the street, where Sarah was crouched over.

"Everly," she said, taking her little sister's hands into hers, "stay here."

Francesca left Everly standing by the front window of the bakery and hurried outside to where Sarah was.

To her horror, a severely battered and bloody man lay on the street. From what she could see, his dark hair was disheveled and matted to his hair in several places. He smelled of sweat and motor oil. Upon further inspection, his clothes were tattered and torn, allowing several deep cuts to soak the rest of his clothes in blood.

"Today is the worst day to be a squib," Sarah muttered, shaking her head. She looked to Francesca, and together they lifted the man onto a nearby bench to survey the damage.

"I'm not bringing him near Everly, but I can't heal him out here." They were soaked, and no amount of drying magic would compare with her warm flat above the bakery. She couldn't concentrate out here, not like this.

"I can put Everly to bed while you heal him," Sarah yelled over the pouring rain.

Francesca nodded, watching as the girl hurried back into the bakery to collect Everly. She peered back at the man, who was slumped over on the bench. He stirred slightly.

"Can you hear me?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she hoisted him to his feet and carefully walked him into the bakery. The blast of warm air instantly sent the feeling back into Francesca's fingers. For what seemed like forever, she dragged the man towards the stairs leading to her flat.

At last, she had made it up the stairs and carefully draped the man onto the couch. In the light, she could see him much clearer. His knuckles were split and bloodied. A large cut cascaded down his right cheek. No amount of magic could save him from the nasty scar that would leave. His clothes were soaked through with blood, not to mention from the rain. Those could be easily cleaned, she figured.

"Are you homeless?"

Francesca spun from the man to find her little sister standing in the doorway of her room.

"Sorry," Sarah shrugged, stifling a grin. "She's an energetic one."

A guttural laugh erupted from the man sitting on the couch. It sounded painful, to say the least. On the bright side, it meant he was regaining consciousness.

"Can you hear me?" Francesca asked, turning her attention back to him.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. They were a thunderstorm grey. He coughed slightly, wincing in pain.

Then, after a moment, he spoke. "Chessie?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

_"Chessie?" Francesca repeated. "What kind of name is Chessie?"_

_Sirius studied her face. Her warm, brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight filtering through the compartment window. Pieces of curled hair strayed from her loose braid, falling in front of her face, which contorted at the silly nickname. "Yours."_

_Sirius smirked at her annoyed reaction. Before she could respond, James slid open the door and spotted Sirius. "There you are, Padfoot. We were looking for you."_

_He flinched at the sound of his friend's voice, glaring at James momentarily before turning his attention back to Francesca._

_James's face lit up in realization. "Oh! Well, I guess we could all just sit here then?"_

_Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but before he had the chance, James shuffled Peter and Remus into the train compartment and settled down on the leather seats in front of them. Sirius buried his head in his hands dramatically and watched as Francesca tried to stifle a laugh._

_"_ _Francesca, I'm back!" A familiar redhead poked her face into the compartment. She held up two rather large bags of candy. The smile on her face slowly fell as she noticed the boys that filled the compartment. "Oh, dear."_

_Lily took her place next to Francesca, setting her candy down on the table in front of the group. Immediately, James and Peter picked up one of the bags and started rifling through it, tossing pieces to Sirius every now and then._

_"May I?" Remus asked, eyeing the bag flopped over on the table._

_Lily rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Go for it."_

♡♡♡

"Chessie?" Francesca repeated. "What kind of name is Chessie?"

"Yours," Sirius said softly. He observed her face as she looked down at him. In the dim light, he could still make out her warm, brown eyes. Her hair was soaked from the rain, hanging in front of her face in tiny spirals; the area around her eyes squinted in concern. Sirius smiled slightly. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

"What did you say?" Francesca asked, puzzled.

"Your name," Sirius told her. "Chessie." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Attempting to sit up, Sirius winced as striking hot pain surged through his body. With a shaky breath, he laid back down onto the couch.

"Episkey," Chessie cast, and his pain subsided. "I don't know how long that'll last. The charm is only supposed to heal minor injuries, nothing like this."

"I- I understand"—Sirius paused to take a ragged breath— "that you hate me for what I did, but why are you pretending—"

"Hate you?" Francesca cut him off. "I don't even know your name. How could I hate you?"

Sirius felt himself growing more and more frustrated. Not only was he severely injured, but he had completely ruined his friendship with Remus, and the Potters, by extension. Even if he was the traitor Moony said he was, it wouldn't matter now. His bike was ruined, his ribs were surely broken, and to top it all off, Chessie, who he hadn't seen in years, was pretending she didn't even know him. She might as well have left him on the cold street. Sirius couldn't blame her, though. After what he did... he couldn't even forgive himself. Why should he expect her to forgive him?

The charm Francesca cast took the edge off of the searing pain Sirius felt, but he had to make an effort to stay conscious with each breath. "Chessie—"

Francesca shushed him. "Please, just let me heal you."

The woman who came to help Francesca carry Sirius out of the road stood beside her, a first aid kit in her hands. She handed Chessie an ointment, to which she dabbed on the cuts lining his face. The ointment stung, but Sirius was far too exhausted to pay it any attention. Using some bandage, Chessie tied up his split knuckles, which were still bleeding. The last thing Sirius saw was her face before surrendering to the clutches of sleep.

♡♡♡

_"Sirius!" Francesca exclaimed, crossing her arms. "I have to get this done."_

_"You're too slow," he grumbled, lowering the stack of books onto the table._

_While the girl was distracted, he quickly scribbled in the corner of her parchment. Francesca set down her quill and glared at the boy. "I'm almost done. It'll only take fifteen more minutes. Promise."_

_"Pinky promise?" Sirius smirked, holding up a pinky for her to shake._

_Francesca rolled her eyes. "What are we, five?" But obliged anyway._

_The two sat in the library, tucked away at an old table in the back. Occasionally, Francesca would get up to grab a book or two, giving Sirius the opportunity to mess up her neatly stacked papers. As he waited for Chessie to finish her work, he practiced spells on the students around them. Every so often, Francesca would see a student's robes burst into flames, or a paper whisked into the air. She quickly hid her smile, but Sirius had already seen it. He winked in response._

_"Done," Francesca smiled, compiling her belongings and placing them into her book bag. "Thanks for the distraction, Sirius."_

_As she began to walk away, Sirius called, "Chessie, wait a minute! We're not done here."_

_"We're not?" Francesca asked, raising her eyebrows. "Why do you think I was waiting there the whole time?"_

_Sirius grabbed her hand, earning a tiny smile from the girl. He led her down the halls of the castle, eventually reaching a secluded garden in the courtyards._

_"_ _Wow, Sirius," Francesca gasped, letting go of the boy's hand and hurrying towards a large patch of flowers. While her back was turned, Sirius carefully pulled a bright red tulip from the ground and presented it to her. A smile filled her face as Francesca took the flower and examined it. "It's lovely."_

♡♡♡

Sirius' pain was masked by the drowsiness he felt as the world came back into focus. His mind still felt a little foggy from the crash. He was lying on a couch, apparently, covered in too many blankets to count. Turning his head, he saw her. So it wasn't a dream, after all. Chessie was at his side, watching intently as he awoke.

"How are you feeling?"

"Listen, Chessie," Sirius grunted, shifting to face her, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop Evan in time. It's my fault that your parents are dead. I haven't had a chance to tell you this, but I truly am sorry."

"What?" Francesca asked, bewildered at his words.

"How do you know about my parents?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. "I was there."

"You need to leave," Chessie blurted.

"But—"

Without warning, they hoisted Sirius to his feet, guiding him out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The ones that love us never really leave us, you can always find them in here." 💕

With shaky hands, Francesca locked the door to the bakery. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sarah asked, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

Francesca shook her head. “Not right now.”

After the man brought up that nonsense, Francesca was startled, to say the least. He was a stranger, he shouldn’t have known anything about her, much less her family. She didn’t really give him a chance to explain himself, but how could she? Surely, he must’ve been some kind of stalker, talking about her parents like that. It was good that she kicked him out when she did, every second with him in the house was another second Francesca put Everly in danger. He could have been a murderer, for all she knew.

“That’s fine,” Sarah replied, cutting off her train of thought. Switching the subject, she said, “Everly’s in bed, for real this time.”

Francesca laughed. “I can’t believe she called him a homeless man.”

“I _know_ ,” Sarah agreed. “She’s getting so bold!”  
The two worked together to finish closing the bakery for the night, organizing pastry boxes and ingredients that had been left out in the kitchen. Francesca replayed the scene in her head. The crash outside the bakery, all of his wounds. No accident could cause a few of those, but she held her tongue. She needed to heal him, and that was all that mattered. She did her part.

Francesca sat down at the small wooden table in her kitchen. She cleaned up Everly’s leftovers, grabbing herself a piece of pizza in the process. A knock at the door notified Francesca of Sarah’s presence. 

“Hey,” Sarah said, standing in the doorway, “can I come in?”

Francesca nodded, pulling out a chair for her friend.

“How are you feeling? Considering what happened earlier and all…”

She sighed. “I’m alright, just a little shaken up. It’s not every day a man almost dies in your bakery.”

“Good thing you were there to help him. I sure wouldn’t have been able to.” Sarah flashed her a sad smile. “I’ve never really envied my brother until now.”

Sarah and her older sister, Evelyn, were both squibs. Considered outsiders to both their wizard and muggle counterparts, Francesca recalled Sarah telling her that she never really fit in anywhere. That was until she stumbled across Francesca’s bakery two years prior, after Evelyn had moved off to America to pursue a career in business. During her childhood, her parents favored her brother, due to his magical abilities, but Sarah didn’t let that get to her. She just accepted it.

Francesca realized she wasn’t the only one affected by their bloody encounter with the man. It wasn’t the blood that fazed her, anyway. Her mum was a healer at St. Mungos before she died, and Francesca had built up a tolerance for seeing injuries over the years. Sarah, however, lived a life where most wounds were minor and healed by magic.

“Don’t be,” Francesca said, offering her a smile. “Gilderoy sounds like quite the character.”

“Tell me about it.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Anyways, I can stay the night, if you’d like. It’s been a rough day for both of us, and I don’t think I can drive home, after seeing _that_.”

“Good point,” Francesca replied, picking up her plate and moving it to the sink. “You can have the guest bedroom tonight.”

After Francesca gave Sarah a spare change of clothes and got her situated, she went to check on Everly.

Opening the door just a crack, a large grin spread on her face at the sight in front of her. Everly was tucked neatly in her bed, rolled up in her princess pink blankets like a little burrito. She’d have to teach Sarah how to tuck in Everly tomorrow, but for now, she was safe and sound.

Heading back to her room and burying herself under the cozy covers of her bed, Francesca drifted off to sleep. All was well. 

♡♡♡

_Francesca screamed against the wind, but it was no use. A tall figure stepped towards her, wand at the ready. In the pale moonlight, she could make out but only a few of his features. A sharp nose, hollowed cheeks, and soulless eyes. His dark hair was damp with sweat and grime._

_Evan._

_A woman—her mother—rushed onto the scene, gripping a thin wand tightly in her hand. A crack in the bottom revealed the end of a phoenix feather. It was broken. Francesca knew she wouldn’t last long, not with a wand like that._

_“Evan, you don’t have to do this,” her mother pleaded, pointing her only weapon at her nephew._

_Evan cackled wildly, shifting his focus to her mother. “Who are you to decide what I should and shouldn’t do? I should make this worthwhile, Claire. But just for you, I’ll make it quick.”_

_To Francesca’s horror, she watched as a bright green light shot from Evan’s wand— aimed directly at her mother’s heart. The light hit her chest, absorbing into her body. Francesca watched as she dropped to the ground._

_Her eyes stared lifelessly at the night sky, a look of terror permanently etched into her face._

_“No!” Her father yelled, revealing his and Everly’s hiding place. A choked sob escaped his throat as he rushed towards his wife’s limp body. Though Francesca’s eyes were clouded with tears, she could make out her father standing to face Evan. She opened her mouth to warn him, but the words were caught in her throat. It was already too late._

_Evan’s eyes blazed with a horrifying sense of intensity. Once more, the blinding green light spewed from his wand, killing her father. A sickening smile spread across her cousin’s face._

_The place where her father once stood was replaced by her cowering little sister, as she toddled to where her parents laid. Francesca hurried towards Everly, scooping her up into her arms. She glanced around quickly before sprinting towards a house. In the darkness, she could barely make out where she was going, but all that mattered to her was getting her sister to safety._

_Francesca set Everly on the front porch of a large house. “Stay here,” she commanded, pointing at a swinging bench. “Do not move, or he will find you. Do you understand?”_

_The small girl nodded her head and curled up on the bench, peering at Francesca from under her tiny hands. Francesca sprinted away from the house, paying especially close attention to the sounds around her. As she ran, she began feeling cold breathing on the back of her neck— despite nobody being around._

_Suddenly, she slammed into something solid. Sharp pain shot through her skull as she fell to the dew-covered grass. Squinting slightly, she could make out the wall of a small building. She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, not surprised to find it wet with blood. As she struggled to her feet, a cacophony of hushed whispers rang in her ears._

_A dark figure slowly formed only a few feet away from where she stood, back against the wall._

_“Now, for you,” Evan spoke._

_Francesca watched as he raised his wand, frozen in fear. She braced for the impact of the curse, but it never came. She opened her eyes just as his body convulsed, causing him to crumple to the ground._

_When he looked up, warmth flooded his previously gaunt features. “Where—?”_

_Evan’s eyes widened as he looked back to survey the dead bodies of his aunt and uncle. Shakily, he stood up, still in shock._

_Looking to his hands, then over to Francesca, he asked, “I did this, didn’t I?”_

_Furious, she leveled a glare at him, giving Evan the answer he needed._

_Behind him, the low rumble of a motor sounded, alerting Evan to a motorcycle approaching in the distance. Hope fluttered in Francesca’s chest. She was going to be saved._

_Then, everything came crashing down. “I am so sorry, Francesca. By the time you wake up, you won't remember any of this. It’ll all be over soon, I promise.”_

_With a wave of his wand, the world cascaded into darkness._

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, sorry for almost killing Sirius and Remus! In all siriusness, thanks for reading the first chapter of Black as Knight! We work really hard to put out as many chapters as possible, so kudos and comments would be greatly appreciated (but no pressure, of course)! ☺️


End file.
